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New way to raise money for city needed

Fri., Feb. 10, 2017

Re: Budget bridges tricky $91M gap, Feb. 8

Budget bridges tricky $91M gap, Feb. 8

Once again we citizens are faced with the short-sightedness of our politicians when it comes time to budgets. They see only as far as the next election and what will get them re-elected. And it’s not just municipal politicians, but elected officials at all levels of government.

We are a rich city and the economy is booming and yet the streets are riddled with potholes, our public transit system is falling behind faster than we can build anew, public housing is a disgrace and we do not have adequate daycare for our children. It is a disgrace and unacceptable and yet the politicians are afraid to use the “tax” word for fear that their careers will end with the next election.

Of course there is waste and it should be minimized, but we already know that there is little fat left in the budget. To increase property taxes or to initiate an additional sales tax is not the answer because both of those forms of taxation are regressive and hit those who can least pay.

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There has got to be a new way to raise money that comes from those who can afford to pay. There was a time when we were citizens and not just taxpayers. There was a time when people had a sense of community and responsibility. There was a time when we cared for those less fortunate. Civil society needs to return to those better times before our city falls apart completely.

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